Jack Beckman wasn't the quickest during qualifying at Heartland Park Topeka. Then again, the 2012 Topeka NHRA winner did make it down the track on all three of his qualifying attempts during the 26th annual Kansas Nationals.

Beckman's quickest qualifying lap came during the third session on Saturday afternoon following morning rain showers that delayed the start of the day's racing action nearly 90 minutes. The 2012 NHRA champion used a tune-up from crew chief Rob Flynn to power his Valvoline MaxLife Dodge Charger R/T to a run of 4.081 seconds. That puts Beckman in the No. 9 starting spot for Sunday's championship eliminations.

"The track was there to step up, but the car didn't run what we wanted it to on that last lap," Beckman said after making three strong runs during qualifying. "We wanted to improve. We were hoping to run a 4.06, but the fact that we went down the track on every qualifying run is fantastic. That just gives us good data. No matter where we ended up on the qualifying sheet, I really like our chances on race day. We're just going to have to lean on it a little bit more."

Round wins are crucial for Beckman and the Valvoline team as he enters Sunday's eliminations ranked ninth in the NHRA Mello Yello standings. He trails teammate Ron Capps by 61 points for fourth place, so a day full of win lights could vault Beckman in the rankings and help secure a coveted position in the end of season six-race Countdown to the Championship playoff.

The following are Beckman's qualifying results and other event notes for the NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.

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